What is human character - traits, types, types and strength of character

Updated July 23, 2021 907 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. “This is character!” - we are talking about a person who is tough in his judgments, purposeful in life and unbending under the blows of fate.

As a rule, this remark is pronounced with a degree of envy and admiration. While “spineless” people do not evoke respect from others.

How does the first type of people differ from the second? And is it true that a person can lack character?

What is character

In fact, everyone has character. Translated from ancient Greek, this term literally means “sign”, “ feature ”, “ distinctive mark ”.

If we expand the definition, it turns out that character is a set of stable personality traits, properties of the psyche that determine a person’s behavior, reactions and other manifestations.

For example, in the same situation, people behave differently: a lonely, small kitten will evoke pity in someone and a desire to feed and warm it. Others will remain indifferent to the defenseless creature.

In the first case, a person is endowed with kindness, kindness, and the ability to sympathize with the misfortune of others - these are his distinctive features. In the second case they are absent.

Each person is endowed with his own unique set of characteristic features, so there are no two individuals who are absolutely identical in character.
Even individuals who are very similar at first glance will still find differences among themselves.

Human Character Traits

Character traits are a huge list of personal qualities, including kindness, cruelty, compliance, stubbornness, responsibility and irresponsibility, suspiciousness, courage and many others.

They can be either desirable or positive, or negative - which people often want to get rid of (become bolder, more confident).

The entire set of traits is usually divided into 4 large groups , each of which combines certain mental properties:

1. Relationships with other people - openness or closedness, kindness or cruelty, arrogance or respect, and others.
2. A person’s relationship with himself – self-criticism or arrogance, vanity or modesty, etc.).
3. Attitude to work activity – neatness, carelessness, activity – laziness, responsibility – “careless” approach, etc.).
4. The attitude towards material things is care or negligence.

All these traits are found in different proportions in different people, thus forming different types of character, which will be described below.

Human character and appearance. From the history of psychological teachings

In the history of psychology, there were many theories that connected character with the shape of the skull, facial structure, constitution (physique, body structure, etc.), trying to outline a way to decipher character, that is, to diagnose some external characteristics of a person. Various systems for determining character arose from practical needs and reflected the needs of society back in ancient times.

For example, a slave owner who bought a slave at the market could accurately judge his physical strength by feeling his muscles, his age, looking at his teeth, his agility, making him run or jump. But what could he say about the character of his future slave? Will he be obedient or stubborn, simple-minded or smart, hardworking or lazy? Will he remain loyal to his master, or will he rebel and run away in a few weeks? All this was an important problem for the buyer in a slave society.

Currently, neither in anthropology, nor in anatomy, nor in psychology is there reliable data that a person’s character depends on the structure of the body, the shape of the skull, the configuration of the face, the color of hair and skin, the length of the limbs, and so on.

Does it really follow from this that such an alluring opportunity to determine a person’s character based on studying his appearance is completely unnecessary? One can definitely only conclude that the character should not be related to the constitution of the body. But perhaps character can be judged by some external signs?

Charles Darwin in his book “On the Expression of the Emotions in Men and Animals” wrote that it is important for a physiognomist to know “that each person basically shortens only certain muscles of the face, following his personal inclinations, these muscles can become more developed, and therefore , facial lines and wrinkles that form when they are usually shortened may become deeper and more noticeable.”

These ideas of Darwin became the basis for the research of many psychologists, who began to build their physiognomic doctrines on the description and interpretation of facial expressions and the state of their soft parts. Specific physiognomic inventories were created with a psychological interpretation of facial expressions.

Careful examination of physical appearance, including familiar facial expressions, played an important role in determining character. However, a person’s appearance alone cannot provide comprehensive information about his character.

Character type

Scientists have not yet come to a consensus about what types of character there are. Various figures have developed their own classifications, the most popular of which are the following:

1. E. Kretschmer connected the character and physique of a person . Thus, he got 3 types:
2. asthenics or schizothymics are thin people with long arms and legs. Their main features are isolation, low adaptability and seriousness. There is a predisposition to schizophrenia;

athletics or ixothimics - have tall stature, good body proportions and developed muscles. They are characterized by authority, desire for leadership, calmness and restraint. Negative character traits include the inability to adapt and show emotions. Prone to epilepsy;

3. picnics or cyclothymics are short, prone to being overweight, with short limbs and a large head. Sociable and emotional people with developed sensitivity, easily adapt to circumstances. Prone to manic-depressive syndrome.

Innate personality traits, types of temperament

Temperament is determined by heredity and manifests itself steadily throughout a person’s life. There are four types of temperament: choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic, sanguine. “Pure” temperaments are rare. As a rule, people have mixed psychotypes, but the leading temperament stands out noticeably in each person. Temperament is manifested in a person in the characteristics of speed, intensity, endurance, sensitivity and degree of openness of mental (internal) and sensorimotor (behavioral or external) actions. A person’s speed (tempo rhythms) can be noticed because how quickly he speaks and responds to his interlocutor, remembers and perceives information, receives impressions, thinks and makes decisions. Speed ​​is also reflected in a person's gait and movements. Endurance also refers to the properties of human temperament. Some of us need short rest and can work without interruption. But there are people who “run out of steam” quite quickly and need regular and long rest.

Choleric

has the fastest tempo rhythms. He speaks a lot and quickly, and answers his interlocutor without delay. Often interrupts: when the interlocutor has just started talking about something, the choleric person has already understood everything and has a ready answer. Such a person quickly perceives and remembers new information, although sometimes superficially and can immediately forget it. He moves a lot and quickly, often and fussily adjusting the details of his suit. During times of stress, his haste and fussiness intensify. A choleric person may become irritable and hot-tempered. Although he is highly sensitive, he will not remember insults and disappointments for a long time. He may flare up, but he will calm down in a minute. They say about him: “High-tempered, but easy-going!” Choleric is an open, direct and sociable person, with an active interest in people and the outside world; has high performance and endurance; often ambitious and ambitious, strives for leadership and dominance.

If an active and energetic choleric person is not always liked by others for his harshness and lack of restraint, then phlegmatic

everyone loves it. He is a calm, peace-loving and reserved person. He has soft and leisurely movements, a quiet voice. He never interrupts his interlocutor, knows how to listen carefully and nods in agreement. A phlegmatic person is a slow person. He takes a long time to assimilate new information, thinks for a long time when he makes a decision. A phlegmatic person has a reliable memory that does not let him down: if he remembers, he will never forget. The same goes for decisions. If, after a thorough analysis of all the pros and cons, the phlegmatic person makes a decision, it will be thoughtful, balanced and without risk; does not retreat from the decision made, shows persistence and stubbornness. Outwardly, he is often phlegmatic - a dense and plump person who loves to eat well. He is partial to life's pleasures, but prefers passive rest and recovers well in solitude. This is a thoughtful and thorough person, a reliable friend and partner, stable and resilient. In a stressful situation, such a person does not worry, maintains composure and a clear head. Under conditions of extreme stress, one can slow down and generally refuse to communicate, make decisions and take actions. Non-conflict, he tries to avoid collisions with people.

A phlegmatic person is an uncommunicative, silent, taciturn, closed person with no particular interest in informal relationships in a company. Has a friend, one for life. A phlegmatic person has no inclination to lead and can work both in a team and independently. In his work he manifests himself either as a follower (subordinate) or as an independent expert. However, if he is appointed as a leader, for example, at the line level, he will be devoted to his subordinates. A phlegmatic person does not like innovation (conservative); it takes a long time to get used to new things, often painfully. Works well in conditions of uniformity and monotony, i.e. where endurance, patience and perseverance are needed. A phlegmatic person has one peculiarity: if he doesn’t like something at work, he is able to quietly accumulate dissatisfaction. Usually it manifests itself when there is inattention on the part of management or a violation of the principle of fairness. In such cases, such an employee may unexpectedly “explode” and write a letter of resignation. And it will be impossible to stop him.

Melancholic

– a sensitive, touchy and very vulnerable person, easily upset even with minor failures. He loves to complain about fate and sincerely believes that the most “hard lot” and “the most difficult trials” of all possible befell him. A melancholic person is often over-cautious because he is afraid of a lot (fears of failure, unexpected changes, misunderstanding from others, loneliness, failure, illness, etc.). It is this trait of his character that stimulates the development of his intuition and ability to foresight. If a melancholic person is a competent specialist, then he will be the first to notice crisis phenomena in the company and sound the alarm. One should not dismiss his premonitions: they may be correct. A melancholic person has insight and feels people well. You can take him to negotiations. Let him be silent and observe how his partners behave. After the first round of discussions, such an employee will give an accurate assessment of each of the participants: where they say one thing and think another, what they are up to, what their vulnerabilities are. A melancholic person, as a rule, does not know how to refuse a request, and then worries for a long time that he did the work for someone else and did not have time to solve his own problem. He has high fatigue. I am not able to overwork and work with maximum dedication, as I can “burn out.” It is better if he rests regularly than to get sick often and take sick leave, which the company will have to pay for. In a stressful situation, a melancholic person is not a worker (he begins to worry, be afraid, has a tendency to self-blame or may blame others).

Sanguine

is a strong, energetic person with good self-control. As a rule, he is businesslike, hardy and efficient. He often shows himself to be a workaholic, loves to make good money and build a career. But the workaholism of a choleric person and a sanguine person are two different things. If a choleric person devotes himself completely to work, then a sanguine person always finds time for a fun holiday. A sanguine person is a life-loving person. He loves to communicate with interesting and necessary people. He enjoys traveling and enjoys good food and beautiful scenery. The love of life of a sanguine person is always in moderation. He likes to drink, but rarely becomes an alcoholic. Allows hobbies, but always remembers family. He is a sociable person, but always remembers his own benefit. Sanguine loves to be the center of attention. At work, he often proposes new projects and gives reports, and at “parties” he tells jokes. He lives easily and optimistically, not taking problems and difficulties “to heart.” In unhappiness, he tries to switch to chores and worries around the house. When everyone is worried, a new project or apartment renovation can begin. People consider him "thick-skinned", but he was simply able to accept life as it came. A sanguine person does not like to be sad and grieve for a long time. He will be the first to say: “Life goes on.” By nature he is an independent and independent person. He will not support another, but he himself does not need support. He reasons like this: “Everyone has their own problems. Who has it easy now?” Or this: “We are adults and should deal with our problems on our own, without burdening others with them.”

Personality character

Character (from Greek charakter

– trait, peculiarity) is a set of stable individual characteristics of a person, which develops and manifests itself in activity and communication, determining the individual’s typical modes of behavior. The formation of character occurs under conditions of inclusion of the individual in social groups of various levels of development (in a family, a friendly company, a work or educational group, an asocial association, etc.). In a team, as a group of a high level of development, the most favorable opportunities are created for the development and consolidation of the best character traits. This process contributes to the optimal integration of the individual in the team and the further development of the team itself.

Character is a set of stable individual personality traits, manifested in behavior and actions. Character traits are understood as individual habitual forms of human behavior in which his attitude to reality is realized.

Character traits can be expressed to varying degrees. Excessive expression of individual character traits and their combinations is considered as character accentuation. This is not a pathology, but extreme variants of the norm. Accentuation represents a certain “weak link” of character, the violation of which contributes to similar conflicts with its bearer. To avoid wrong actions, unnecessary stress and complications in work and communication, it is necessary to take into account the character traits of employees and know the weaknesses of your own character.

One of the psychological classifications used in everyday life is the Heymans-Le Senne typology, in which character is considered as a combination of three components: emotionality, activity and primary-secondary.

Emotionality (referred to as “E+” or “E–”) describes how easily a given situation evokes an emotional state (emotion or feeling) in a person.

Activity (“A+” or “A–”) is the need for action, for the implementation of a plan or idea.

Primary and secondary (referred to as “P” or “B”) depend on the lasting influence that the opinions, feelings and goals we pursue have on us. Secondary people remain impressed by what they experienced for a long time, do not quickly forget the insult inflicted on them, and experience excitement when remembering success. They rarely get angry, but their anger can be terrible. They are persistent, patient, constant in their beliefs, it is difficult for them to impose a new point of view. Primary people, on the contrary, do not remain impressed by their experiences for long. They constantly “discharge” their emotions. Such people live in the present, so they easily adapt to a new environment. They quickly give up on their goal or idea and do not like hard work.

Various combinations of the above qualities give the following types:

1. E+, A–, P – nervous. Such a person should be kept within limits, told how and what to do, and not be afraid to confront him, since he easily comes to reconciliation. Does not tolerate monotonous work well.

2. E+, A–, B – sentimental. You need to behave with great caution with such a person. Rough treatment is the best way to make him withdraw into himself. You need to be fair when talking to him. It is necessary to constantly appeal to his feelings and show that he is taken into account. He is quite hardworking, but has difficulty making decisions.

3. E+, A+, P – very active, stormy. He is distinguished by great strength, courage, and enterprise. Such a person is not afraid of obstacles: thanks to his ingenuity, he knows how to get around them. He willingly participates in the common cause and does everything that is required. He is able to get to work “rolling up his sleeves”, but his interest in it must be constantly maintained. Such a person should be entrusted with work that must be completed without delay. At the same time, we should not forget that he is easily distracted.

4. E+, A+, B – passionate. This is a man of one idea who devotes himself to work with all passion. He loves order, his reactions are decisive, but not explosive. The mind is quick and reliable. Experiences success quietly and modestly. Doesn't like to change beliefs. When appointed to a leadership position, you should first make sure that his position does not disagree with the opinion of his superiors. You should not entrust the same task to two people of the same type - they are unlikely to come to an agreement.

5. E–, A+, P – sanguine. Such a person is very practical, adapts easily and quickly, and is very optimistic. This is a businessman. He is calm and brave. His mind is broad, he is prone to generalizations, but loves accuracy, thoroughness and objectivity. His mind is clear and open to any problems. He treats the assigned work with great responsibility.

6. E–, A+, B – phlegmatic. Such a person is cold and extremely calm. Not inclined towards camaraderie and prefers loneliness; taciturn and reduces the conversation to clarifying the main thing. He loves order in his work and does it methodically and calmly. He is not afraid to work with full dedication, but only when it benefits him. You can convince him only with the help of well-founded argumentation. Phlegmatics are best used at the design stage of work and in the preparatory period. Here his organizational skills, calmness and poise turn out to be very useful.

7. E–, A–, P – amorphous. Such a person is very inert, never doing more than what he is ordered. Willingly puts off until tomorrow what could be done today. His actions lack elementary punctuality.

8. E–, A–, V – apathetic. Indifferent to everything he does. Able to perform satisfactorily routine tasks that require a certain order. Always in an even mood, enjoys solitude. Persons with this character are the least helpful and the most indifferent to others.

These are all so-called “pure” types, rarely found in reality. Nevertheless, focusing on them, it is easier to determine how this or that person will behave.

Character is manifested in deeds and actions and is formed in overcoming difficulties and obstacles. In character education, it is necessary, first of all, to form true beliefs, ideas and ideals. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that a person not only knows, but also realizes his convictions in life and work. His worldview should not be divorced from practice.

An integral character trait is discipline. Discipline is strict adherence to job descriptions, work rules, and standards of behavior. This trait is cultivated when the requirements of the leader and all the regime provisions of the organization are invariably met. In the course of their implementation, difficulties and obstacles are overcome.

By cultivating moral (kindness, delicacy), emotional (cheerfulness, passion) and strong-willed (perseverance, criticality) character traits, the leader, first of all, sets an example of behavior. The manager needs to use an individual approach to subordinates. He should not miss the opportunity to approve and praise the best manifestations of character and note the shortcomings in the behavior of people.

Self-education plays an important role in character formation. The direct responsibility of the manager is the desire to show his subordinate the most effective ways to eliminate shortcomings, effective methods of self-education, and overcoming bad habits.

We should not forget that character is not an innate quality of personality. It is formed and improved throughout life. A person directly participates in the formation of his character and is responsible for its negative manifestations.

Excessive participation of individual character traits is called accentuation. For a skillful leader with a certain psychological training, it is important to know what accentuation the performer’s character belongs to in order to select the most suitable ways and methods of character formation for a given individual.

Formation of human character

Character begins to form from the first days after birth. By the age of 4-5, the general structure of the personality is already visible, and by the age of 10, the character is already fully “complete.”

What factors will influence character traits:

1. genetic predisposition - there is an opinion that some traits are inherited from our parents;
2. society - parents and other significant adults (relatives, neighbors, teachers), friends, classmates;

3. life circumstances are situations that a child faces. For example, the financial situation of the family, events of various modalities also influence the future character. If the same child experiences the death of a loved one or, conversely, something bright and positive, these two factors will leave different imprints on his personality.

Initially, the baby looks at how his parents treat him. Further, it is with this attitude that he will go into the big world. That is, if he was loved , surrounded with warmth and care, talked about his value, then this is exactly how he will feel among others - significant, important, valuable. This is how he will treat people. And vice versa.

Nature and manifestation of character

Character and temperament

From nature, a person receives only opportunities for development in a certain direction. They lie in the anatomical and physiological characteristics of the brain and endocrine system of the born child. On this basis, develop a person’s individual characteristics, especially his temperament. Temperament is a stable individual personality trait that is expressed in the dynamics of mental processes of action.

Temperament traits include the strength or weakness of experienced feelings and desires, their depth or surface, the strength or variability of moods, the accelerated or slow pace of actions and the course of mental processes, the ease or difficulty of moving from stimuli to actions, the greater activity or passivity that a person exhibits when colliding with obstacles.

The doctrine of temperament originated in antiquity, in ancient times. Even then he distinguished four types of temperament. These types:

• choleric,
• melancholic,
• phlegmatic person,
• sanguine

Character, like temperament, shows dependence on the physiological characteristics of a person. Temperamental traits leave their mark on natural phenomena and determine the dynamic features of their formation and course. Temperamental traits can counteract or promote the development of certain aspects of character.

• It is more difficult for phlegmatic people than for choleric or sanguine people to form their own initiative and determination.
• For melancholic people, a serious problem is overcoming shyness and anxiety.
• Character formation, carried out in a group of a high level of development, creates favorable conditions for the development of choleric individuals with greater restraint and self-criticism,
• sanguine - caring, phlegmatic activity.

What are the types of temperament?

We figured out what character is. These are personal characteristics of a person that are formed from birth. It is often confused with temperament , although these concepts are far from the same thing.

Temperament is a property of the nervous system: its mobility, responsiveness, stability. This quality of an individual is innate and, unlike character, cannot be changed.

Temperament can be thought of as the basis on which character will subsequently be formed, with the former significantly influencing the latter. Hippocrates wrote about the types of temperament; psychology adheres to his classification to this day:

1. melancholic – an anxious person who does not cope well with stress due to a mobile nervous system;
2. sanguine – balanced, logical, lively, sociable, optimistic;
3. choleric – explosive, impulsive, hot-tempered;
4. phlegmatic (who is this?) – a stable, hardy personality type, calm and measured.

Dependence of temperament on character

In many ways, a person’s reaction to a particular controversial situation depends on his temperament and character. It is known that sanguine and choleric people give free rein to their feelings more vividly and emotionally. Sanguine people, being lovers of an active lifestyle and being surrounded by a large number of people, tend to sort things out “loudly”. While choleric people, not striving for publicity, are simply unable to restrain their impulse to throw out their emotions, even if they later regret it.

Phlegmatic people approach this matter judiciously, weighing and considering every step. They will monotonously and purposefully explain their position rather than shout and wave their arms. Melancholic people will not enter into conflict at all; they will experience all their indignation and discontent inside, while reproaching and scolding themselves, thinking that the root of the problems is in them. There are exceptions to every rule, and sometimes the reaction can vary from case to case, since, in addition to temperament, the reaction to conflict is shaped by one’s worldview.

A person’s view of life and the world, of people in this world and of himself is precisely what can outweigh temperament and radically change the outcome of a controversial situation. Throughout life, a person receives enormous, incomparable experience. Over time, either lessons are learned and consciousness is improved, or all the information received goes unheeded. As a consequence of this perception, every new time we step on the same rake. It is self-development and respect for another person as an individual and formed personality that can provide understanding and ways to constructively resolve the conflict.

Psychologist Kuznetsov A.V.